Crosscurrents

Protest and activism can take many forms. Today, it takes the shape of a poem. Here’s Carlos quinteros iii reading his poem ‘Stick-up.’ And you can find more Bay Area poets here. 

Today, Destiny Mohammad talks about her new album and why she calls herself a sound sculptress. And, KALW’s Dore Stein shares some favorite songs by Middle Eastern artists.

Now, we hear a segment from On Repeat, a mini-pod for music discovery. It’s hosted by Tshego Letsoalo, KALW’s Music Editorial Director. In this episode from 2024, Tshego talks to KALW’s Dori Stein, the host of Tangents. 

Today, we're holding on to the past with a San Francisco teenager who’s capturing the stories of the elders in her community. Then, a local author reads from their novel, about a woman with psychic abilities. And, we hear an excerpt from a live recording of KALW's Your Legal Rights.

For the last eight years, 19-year-old Kate Quach has been volunteering at a senior center in San Francisco. In that time, Kate has made a lot of friends among the elderly residents living there. And she’s captured their stories in two self-published poetry collections. KALW’s Anna Casalme brings us the story.

Khan Wong, lives in San Francisco. His novel, “Down in the Sea of Angels” follows a Bay Area woman who discovers she has a special, and surprising, gift. 

New Arrivals is produced by Lisa Morehouse. Find many more episodes here! 

Immigration enforcement continues to impact communities across the Bay Area. To help folks get reliable information about their rights, KALW recently hosted a live edition of our show, Your Legal Rights. Attorney Jeffrey B. Hayden is the host of Your Legal Rights. He led the community-focused event, which brought together a panel of leading immigration attorneys and scholars. The conversation included Law Professor Bill Hing, along with Attorneys Stanley Radtke and Carla Gomez.

You can hear the whole conversation here.

Today, we visit a Santa Clara county Chinese restaurant that has become an institution. It's Chef Chu’s on the final episode of California Foodways! Then, a KALW DJ shares some of his favorite songs. Plus, a poem about a fully seasoned life.

For more than 10 years, Lisa Morehouse traveled to every county in the state, finding stories about food, agriculture, and the people that make both possible. 

Now, for the 58th county, and the last story in the series–she’s taking us back to Santa Clara County where she grew up, to a restaurant called Chef Chu’s.

When the restaurant opened in 1970, it was just a small family business. And the area around it was a pretty sleepy suburb. Now Chef Chu’s is at the heart of Silicon Valley. 

Listen to all 58 episodes of California Foodways here!

Let’s add a dash of poetic flavor to your morning. Here’s Oakland Poet, Brennan DeFrisco, reading his piece, ‘How to Salt.’ You can find more Bay Area poets here.